Winter is coming, what is your fitness routine? If you are like most, it may consist of getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen for a snack. You may have prepared, have a gym membership, or plan on hitting the slopes. However, what do you intend to do in between times?

Many people bulk up on gym equipment or plan to go to the gym. You could also get a lot of repetitive motion from shoveling that white stuff off your driveway, porch, or off your car. By the time you are done, you're no longer are in the mood to hit the gym.

Staying motivated during the winter months can be tough, but, there are little things you can do to keep you motivated. First, have a plan for exercise, know, where you are going to, when you are planning to do it, and what you will do. Make a list! You know that thing where you actually write something with a pen and paper (or if you are like me a spreadsheet). This is the first step, so you do not find your self in fitness free fall.

Once you know what you are going to do, set, some alerts on your phone, to keep you motivated, maybe even go as far as setting a few reminders to make sure you stay active during the day. If you stay active during the winter months, you probably won't have spring blues, which is working off the bulk you accumulated over the winter. That tends to be a vicious yearly cycle with some people.

Break up the monotony, plan some outings into the snow, maybe cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing or even better a local hotel with an indoor pool. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones where it doesn't get real cold during the winter, try, doing some things that you do not typically do. Winter can be tough on the psyche and changing things up is not only fun but, necessary.

My simple plan, consists of Winter Skiing, of course shoveling snow, walking my daughter to school. Taking the dog for a walk, Of course, I have some great local hotels, that have indoor pools and one faces the lake, so it provides for scenery. During that downtime, I have a TotalWave Fitness machine trainer, which allows me to imagine I am on the slopes or somewhere other than my garage. I get a full body workout, without having to have a treadmill, elliptical, and rowing machine cluttering up my home.

While my plan works for me, it does not work for everyone's glass of wine. We are all different, and our routines should be too. Create a list of things that you like to do, beyond, bringing that growler to your lips and couch movements. Brainstorm and keep your mind as active as you would your body. You need those endorphins to keep

pumping to keep your body in motion. When we become sedentary, we decrease all the chemicals that keep our muscles strong and our lungs/heart healthy. We need our systems engaged year round and not just during the good months of the year. For some great winter excise idea take a look here.

I have a plan to set 30-minute reminders during the day to stand up stretch and get moving instead of sitting around. Also since I sit in front of a keyboard most of my days, I plan on dusting off my exercise ball and replacing my typical office chair, so I keep my lower half engaged and bounce from time to time while continuing to maintain my balance. It's important to keep yourself engaged during the winter months. If you stay active, come spring you will move to your regular workout routine with fluid and grace and not start from scatch. All of these are designed to take a little out of my day as possible while still maintaining an element of fun. After all, if it's not fun, it's easy to lose interest. Keep on grooving on through winter.